Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §13.6.1.pr-13.6.1.2

Scope of Loan for Use and Liability of Minors

Passage 2115 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Ulpian discusses the definition of 'commodatum' (loan for use) in the praetor's edict, explaining that it can apply to land and habitation as well as movables, and sets forth the conditions of its existence and liability concerning minors.

[ULPIANUS libro uicensimo octauo ad edictum. ] §13.6.1.prAit praetor: 'Quod quis commodasse dicetur, de eo iudicium dabo. ' Huius edicti interpretatio non est difficilis.
[ULPIAN, from the twenty-eighth book on the Edict.] The praetor says: 'Concerning that which anyone shall be said to have lent, I will grant an action.' The interpretation of this edict is not difficult.
unum solummodo notandum, quod qui edictum concepit commodati fecit mentionem, cum Paconius utendi fecit mentionem.
Only one thing is to be noted, that he who drafted the edict made mention of loan, whereas Paconius made mention of use.
inter commodatum autem et utendum datum Labeo quidem ait tantum interesse, quantum inter genus et speciem: commodari enim rem mobilem, non etiam soli, utendam dari etiam soli.
But between loan and giving for use, Labeo indeed says there is as much difference as between genus and species: for he says that a movable thing is lent, not also land, but something is given for use also in the case of land.
sed ut apparet, proprie commodata res dicitur et quae soli est, idque et Cassius existimat.
But as is apparent, a thing of land is also properly said to be lent, and Cassius also is of this opinion.
§13.6.1.1Uiuianus amplius etiam habitationem commodari posse ait.
Vivianus says further that even a habitation can be lent.
§13.6.1.2Impuberes commodati actione non tenentur, quoniam nec constitit commodatum in pupilli persona sine tutoris auctoritate, usque adeo ut, etiamsi pubes factus dolum aut culpam admiserit, hac actione non tenetur, quia ab initio non constitit.
Minors are not bound by the action on loan, since a loan does not even exist in the person of a pupil without the authority of their tutor, to such an extent that, even if, having attained puberty, they commit fraud or fault, they are not bound by this action, because it did not exist from the beginning.

Notes

  1. §13.6.1.prsoli — `soli` is the genitive singular of `solum` (soil, land), functioning here as a genitive of description/property in contrast to `rem mobilem` (movable thing), thereby denoting real property (things of the soil, `res soli`).
  2. §13.6.1.prcommodari enim rem mobilem, non etiam soli, utendam dari etiam soli — This is an accusative and infinitive construction (indirect speech) dependent on the main verb `Labeo quidem ait` (Labeo says). `rem mobilem` is the subject accusative of `commodari`, and in the subsequent clauses, the omitted `[rem]` with the genitive `soli` acts as the subject of the implied `[commodari]`, which is then contrasted with `[rem]... utendam dari` (to be given for use).
  3. §13.6.1.2usque adeo ut... non tenetur — In the consecutive clause introduced by `usque adeo ut` (to such an extent that), the indicative present `tenetur` is used instead of the standard classical subjunctive. This construction emphasizes an actual, objective legal fact rather than a mere hypothetical result.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §13.6.1.pr-13.6.1.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:13.6.1.pr-13.6.1.2

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.